Faith and Melancholy
by GDQuirm
Summary: Naruto has a life changing meeting when Jiraiya returns to Konohagakure, and develops his newly found abilities fighting wars that aren't always fought with weapons, or even against enemies. A well placed suggestion can often mean more than an entire army.
1. Chapter 1: Faith and Melancholy

_GREETINGS FEEBLE MORTALS!  
_

It is I, Génie da Quirm, here with my first ever published story. It is very wordy, descriptive, and has a bit too many scenes with Jiraiya. EVERY CHARACTER IN THIS IS OC, for those who don't know what that means, Original Character, as in not following the personality of the character from the manga. In addition, the entire plotline is original too. Basically the setting is the same, but that's kind of it. This story needs major feedback and reviewing, I have NEVER published one of these before, so feedback and suggestions on ANYTHING would be very helpfull. Oh, and read while listening to something epic, like Concerto De Aranjuez, or Concerning Hobbits, so that my story will seem better than it actually is._  
_

Also, just as a warning, and so you don't think the whole story is full of guys like him, Jiraiya is VERY aristocratic, and I don't mean in a posh way, or in a fangirl romantic way, I mean he uses lots of BIG WORDS and tends to speak... very... philosphically.

If you see spelling or grammar mistakes, please mention it, even if someone already has, I may have missed it.

I AM Canadian, and will be writing in Canadian English (It DOES have its own spellings, filthy Americans!), as a warning to all those out there who speak American, British or any other dialect of English. My spelling or grammar may not neccesarily be wrong, so when you review about it, please be logged at the time so I can write back to you.

This chapter is dedicated to my departed cat, Max. Eaten by coyotes.

One last warning: LONG MONOLOGUES!

On with the show!

* * *

_An answer which yields a dozen questions is better than none of either –  
Jobin Seras, Ffh2_

Chapter One

_No, there was no time. No time for pleasantries or words of grace. No time to explain... no time..._

Some days were good, some days were bad and some, despite all efforts, just seem destined to end on a sour note. Some, though, were far too great and terrible to dare be forgotten. Some occur perhaps but once in the history of a nation, the horror shaking the people to such an extent that no one would dare repeat anything even remotely similar. October the tenth, harvest season down in Grass Country and just on the turn of winter in Wood Country, was one of those days. Konohagakure, or Konoha, once known as one of the largest cities in the known world, would lose nearly a third of its population in a battle that would be felt in seven countries outside of the country of this city, Fire Country. The strongest demon of all nine of the bijuu, the Kyuubi, would siege the greatest ninja village in all the nations. Massive waves of red chakra would sweep down the countryside and thousands would be frozen for hours after it was over in fear. On that day Konohagakure lost possibly the greatest leader that ever ruled it, the fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, when he sacrificed his life to seal the demon into a newborn child, his son Naruto. The Hokage who had ruled the village before him, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had been there at the birth of Naruto and the sealing of the bijuu and had had been one of but four people to hear the dying wish of the fourth Hokage...

"Let my son be seen as the hero that he is. He keeps Konoha alive with every breath," he said, his voice wavering at the end. "Sensei, you will be his godfather," he shuddered and fell to the ground, dead. It wasn't the most eloquent of speeches, but it stuck them all very deeply. Minato was a close and very dear person to those that he considered precious. He was a very kind and empathic man in his time, one who would guard with his life the few who grow close to him. He was a man with very deep set morals, a great dream for the city and the will to make it come true. And, for a time, for the few years of his rule, it did, despite his inexperience. Konoha prospered, exploding in trade and growth in what could have been called the golden age of Konoha. He was, indeed, a great leader who loved and respected his people. The third Hokage took Naruto in his hands and the three in the room, himself included, dipped their heads in respect. Minato's sensei, Jiraiya of the sannin, looked over at his old sensei and teammate.

"While I believe in the people of this city, I don't think, with all the suffering and sadness right now, that they will respect that. I know he has enemies, sensei, but if you worry too much of the enemies outside then you may forget the enemies inside. If the people knew, then we could honour Minato's wish. Besides, I believe that if they knew then our ninja would be willing to protect him at all costs and we wouldn't have to worry about his enemies nearly as much."

The third Hokage closed his eyes in thought, then opened them a moment later.

"No."

"No?"

"No. We can't risk it. There are too many lives at stake here, including Naruto's. All we can do is hope that Minato's trust in his people was well-placed." He sighed; looking down at the small figure bundled in his arms.

Tsunade decided to take this moment to speak up, "What kind of life do you think he'll have, ostracized like that? I understand your concerns, sensei, but you can't leave Minato's son to that!"

"Will still don't know for certain how the people will react..."

"You can NEVER know for certain, until you STEP out there and SEE! The only thing you can know for certain is that if you're wrong, then it will be too late to turn back the tide. His life will be ruin," Tsunade said. "Please, re-think what you're doing here."

"I'm sorry, but I can't risk it. There are too many who would kill him simply for the hair, forget the name. No, I'll stay with what I said earlier. We will keep his identity secret until he reaches adulthood, or, should he become a shinobi, he reaches the rank of chunin. That is my final word on the matter." With that he turned around and exited the building onto the stage before which the masses of Konoha had gathered.

Konohagakure entered a period of deep, deep depression then. People rioted in the streets and small groups of rogue ninja roamed the streets. The retired third hokage, after the death of the fourth in the attack, had been forced to step back up and reclaim the mantle of leader over the dying city. All this went by unnoticed by the now newly-christened Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

Six years, four weeks to date:

Naruto was a cynic. This is not to say he could not see the good in things, he just didn't get to see many things that were good. So, on one particularly wretched and unwelcome night, one where he had risked going through the middle-class areas of the city (small as they were with the shortage of food) in order to get to the Hokage's tower faster, he had encountered a group of especially angry and distraught people who saw fit to 'punish him for murdering their children, parents, friends, sisters, brothers...' The lower class had enough problems already to care about him, while the upper class either had an image to uphold or were too busy to bother. That's not to say that everyone were as such. There were those who had been driven to such an extent than on certain days, Naruto's birthday or perhaps the birthday of a lost relative they would personally seek him out. There were as well, people from other cities or countries, as well as those who had managed to calm the raging torrent of emotion all those years back to think with reason and logic over emotion, who truly believed in the dying wish of the fourth Hokage. These numbered few, however, and among those the ones who would be willing to risk their health and family to help the boy were still less. The chances of Naruto ever meeting these people, in a city as grand as Konoha, even over his short six years of life, were nigh on non-existent. So today, he skipped visiting the Hokage all together and sat on a log in the park. No tears were shed, no words were shouted. He merely sat, thick into the depression that had seeped its way into his mind. He sat there for quite a while, feeling empty and alone, until an old man wearing a fine blue silk dress with a stylised golden dragon had wandered into the usually untouched area. It wasn't a particularly beautiful or important part of the park and had overgrown slightly from disuse, for the most part completely forgotten. Naruto looked up at him for a moment, but quickly looked away. He didn't want to be noticed. Not now. The old man saw him and shook his head, sighing. He sat down next to Naruto, making him twist his head to look at him in fear.

"Oh, calm down. I'm a very old man. I can't possibly imagine what you think I'd be able to do to you," he said, pulling a pair of small glasses out from his pockets. "Ah. That's better. Now then, what's wrong, young one?" Naruto looked at him in shock. Never before had anyone other than the third Hokage and the ANBU looked at him without anger in their eyes. Those that did not have anger did not look, out of shame or indifference.

"Well, speak up. I may be old, but I'm not deaf." Fear suddenly gripped Naruto's heart, closing what little entry had opened into it. What if he told someone where he was? What if they came after him? What if they were coming already right now?

"How'm I suppos'a know you aren' jus' trying to get me in another trap, old man? You could be like the other p'ple!" shouted Naruto, standing up and glaring at the man with suspicion.

"Can you not trust me, young one? I may not be from around here but even I know that a doddering old man who can't even see properly without assistance has no reason to harm you. Come, sit down already. Can you not have faith in even one such as myself?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"...No."

"So, what have you, then? What have you, if not faith? When you have no trust in anything, when you cannot believe your own eyes, your own ears? When you cannot learn for fear of a lie? When you cannot grow for fear of glass ceilings? When you cannot trust nor be trusted, love nor be loved? Do not assume ignorance until unless otherwise. These things are contextual! They are sought, not for proof, not for truth, but on a whim. On a whim! On a whim, yet still... an answer which yields a dozen questions is better than none of either. A single truth, a single proof, regardless of origin, regardless of the possibilities otherwise, stands truer than none, for nothing is all that it is. Nothing. That is what you have, that is what you are when you cannot trust in any but yourself. To not love, that is ignorance. Ignorance and sadness. You must trust to live, if you don't, you are but a shadow, a shadow of something you could have been. I cannot portray to you with even the most elegant and extensive language that may exist the truth of these words. Have faith, young child that the grass will always grow, and should that fail you then have faith that the rain will wet your lips, and should that still someday fail you, even then, have faith that the sun will always raise and watch it shine unto your last seconds. Have faith in others, that they may have faith in you. Now sit down." Naruto's eyes widened, a torrent of emotions flowing in as he thought of the Hokage and the times the ANBU had saved him from beatings jumped to the front of his mind. The sudden rush of conflicting emotions assaulted him and he opened and closed his mouth a few times before running off into the forest.

The old man sighed, leaning back and looking up at the trees, a single cherry tree, now in bloom, had light pink blossoms looking quite beautiful in the sunlight. "Oh, Naruto..."

* * *

Next Morning;

Naruto awoke to darkness. Not pitch, there was some light, if, granted, little. Most of it originated from cracks in the bumpy wooden room he appeared to be in, though some came from a group of small, softly glowing mushrooms of a sort. He opened his eyes all the way, only to close them again as the whole area filled with light.

"Wha..." he slowly opened his eyes once more, to find the mushrooms glowing much brighter than they were before. He rubbed his eyes, staring at the now illuminated space he was in. It looked almost like the roots of tree, without the dirt. It seemed as if a tree had grown around him, and the walls all around, though not the floor, were a part of it. The floor, on the other hand, appeared to be simply the ground, if covered in an extraordinarily thick layer of grass. He rubbed it through his fingers, marvelling at its softness, before pushing his head forward, squinting his eyes in an attempt to see through one of the larger cracks. To his surprise the wood parted to allow room for his head to pass, letting him see the bushes and trees beyond. The sun was out, and nearly just above, but the area was yet dark from the shade of the massive canopy. The bushes were extremely thick, designating this as further out in the forest than most went, the natural environment there being on the hotter end of the temperate scale. The events of last night suddenly came to Naruto as he recognized his surroundings.

_That old man... but why am I in this? _The opening widened more and Naruto stepped out slowly, looking at it suspiciously. Now outside, he looked up at what he had just crawled out of. And up. And up. It could have gone on forever from the perspective of a six year old boy. It was an oak, even if Naruto didn't know that at the time. The trunk must have been thirty-five feet wide, the branches so gnarled and knotted it would have been impossible to tell the exact age, though it was certainly ancient. Throughout the tree numerous nests and dens could be seen, housing everything from robins and owls to squirrels and even a small family of sloths, unusual this far out from rain country. The mighty oak seemed to have its own self-sufficient ecosystem, all creatures working in harmony with each other, like a tiny nation of one tree.

Needless to say Naruto was amazed.

As he was staring at it Naruto noticed a very faint blue glow around the tree, so faint he wouldn't have noticed it had he not been staring at it so. Despite being as young as he was Naruto had seen enough to be more cautious than most should be at his age, though be it the seemingly peaceful surroundings or the lulling sensation he felt emanating from the tree, he deciding to cast such suspicions aside and slowing moved a hand forward towards the trunk of the tree.

Just as Naruto was about to make contact the blue rushed out of the tree, across his arm and into him. The last thing he felt was a sensation of calm before passing out on the grass.

"Ooh... tha' fel' nice..." said Naruto.

"You aren't high, are you?"

"What? No! Who... wait..." Naruto swung up from the bed he was on and pointed at the man sitting to his left. "You that ol' man, tha one inna park!"

"Well, at least we know your memory's fine..." he said. "Satsuma?"

Naruto stared at the mandarin suspiciously. "Why've you been so nice to me, mister? The man sighed softly and bit into the mandarin, tilting his head slightly to avert his eyes.

"Son, there are some things in this world you simply let be. You forgive, you bestow mercy upon the ignorant and the poor, the pampered and the parentless. They simply didn't know, nor would they until taught what they hadn't a glimpse of before. Ignorance is not a sin. Selective memory, forgetting that told and intended, that is a fool's work. Not ignorance," he looked back over at Naruto, bowing his head slightly. "So I ask you to forgive me for not being there when I should have, for not protecting those entrusted to me in faith as protector. I am Jiraiya, Naruto. Your godfather. I am sorry."

Naruto, at the age he was at, didn't understand much of what Jiraiya had been saying. Perhaps it had been best, or perhaps there had been much for Naruto to gain from the words of his godfather, but either way, Naruto's vocabulary was fairly limited. He did, however, know enough to understand that he was his godfather, and that he was asking forgiveness. He paused for a while, then, in a quiet, very soft sounding voice he said, "Where were you?"

Jiraiya winced, knowing perfectly well where he had been while his godson went through a life no six-year old should be aware of. He had been writing books of... questionable material, making money, most of which went to the paying of the debts his former teammate made gambling drunk. "Somewhere I shouldn't have been. I'm sorry, I only recently found out you were even alive, let alone in Konoha. I will try to make it up to you, I promise."

Naruto looked at him for a while, then nodded his head. "'S alright. You din' know. But if you're here, was gonna happen now?"

"You know, I must say I really did not quite expect you to take that as well as you did. You are a very kind person, Naruto, even if you don't know it yet. I'll try to make it up to you, starting with this," he said.

"What'do you mean?"

"You'll see," said Jiraiya. "Now come, I'm checking you out."

* * *

"This, Naruto, is where you'll be living from here on out," said Jiraiya. The two stopped walking as Jiraiya turned to face his left. Standing before the two was a house, a fairly ordinary one in classical irimoya style with the number '216' painted on the side in fading red letters. Naruto looked on with fascination and confusion at the house.

"You mean... it's mine?" said Naruto, shocked. Jiraiya snorted at this.

"No, silly. This is my house. You'll be living with me from now on," he said, walking through the gates. "I saw that apartment you were living in before and my godson will NOT be living in those conditions."

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" said Naruto, running up to the door.

"Woah, if you're going to live in my house, there are a few rules we have to lay down!"

"Anything!" said Naruto, instantly snapping to attention in front of his godfather.

"First off, I will expect you to receive a decent education, it's the least I can do for your parents. This means I will be teaching you myself, as those idiots at the academy don't even teach grammar, despite having EXTREMELY inadequate lessons in politics. Politics! Without grammar! Insane, the thing is 80% argument and debate," Naruto and Jiraiya entered the house, to reveal a very neat and organized living room and kitchen in one space taking up most of the center. "I will also find you the best education I am capable of finding once you've decided on a career you wish to pursue. Whatever you do wish to do, I will still insist on the basics in some general fields as well as a minimum in self-defence. You understand?"

"Yup. I don't know what I want to be just yet. I like plants... and birds... and cats, I like cats," said Naruto.

'_Poor kid. He isn't going to have any independence in his life...'_ Jiraiya shook his head, looking down at Naruto looking around in excitement _'if it weren't for that damned council maybe he would have had a choice here, but He's going to be a ninja, no matter what he wants. At the very least, though, I can develop an interest in something else, get him to know that there are other things in life.'_ "Secondly... hey, watch it!" he shouted, rushing over to catch a small elephant statue Naruto had bumped into. Jiraiya growled, "Secondly... as I was saying... I expect you to respect my house and belongings. Be a bit more careful, ne?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head and smiled apologetically.

"So why d'you have a' elephant in here anyway?" he asked.

"It was a gift from an old friend of mine, the most talented student I ever had the good fortune mentoring. Regardless, the third and final rule I must lay out is this: There will be no secrets between us. If we're to be sharing roofs then we can't be hiding things from one another, the same goes however, that we keep what we tell and do not go around telling the rest of the world what we tell eachother, without the permission of whoever told it," he sat down on a chair, rubbing the elephant statue softly. "Now. Do you understand and accept these three rules? If you do not understand, I can over them again in more detail. If you do not accept them... well."

He regarded Naruto carefully, with one eyebrow raised; chin resting on the palm of his hand, in turn resting on his knee. Naruto's lip scrunched up for a moment before he turned to Jiraiya. "The firs's rule seems a bi' less like rule 'an a gift, dunnit?"

"Not... quite. It is mandatory, and you'll find my lessons a bit more... _difficult,_ than the average academy lesson. You will be taught in grammar, basic martial arts, geography, calligraphy, foreign languages, biology and mathematics, as well as politics, philosophy and economics, though those would be far later into your education than what you'll be doing now," the toad sage grinned at the expression on Naruto's face. "Of course, should you decide it too much..."

"No! No, no, is' jus' fine!" he scrunched his eyebrows up and looked back to the sage. "Bu'... you said 'It's the least I could do for your parents.'" Jiraiya's eyes widened at this. Simply noting the line would have only meant he was fairly observant. '_But he said that with perfect pronunciation, not a syllable out of place. Which means he either has a remarkable talent for imitation, or...' _he decided he'd watch his godson a bit more closely from now on.

"Yes. I knew your parents... but that's a conversation for another day," said Jiraiya. "When you're older, preferably. Now, you need to get to know the house, and I have to show you your room."

"Don' change the subject, you're tha one who said their'd be no secrets 'tween us!" said Naruto, the wisps of anger present in his voice. "So tell me; what abou' my parents?"

Jiraiya sighed, knowing this would come, just not expecting it so soon. _Damn kid's smarter than I thought. _He settled into his seat, quickly going over his options, trying to find a way to satisfy the boy without going against any of the Hokage's orders. He thought for a minute or two while Naruto, surprisingly enough, sat down in a chair and waited patiently in silence. Jiraiya breathed in deeply. _I'm going to get screwed over for this...well, it's not like sensei has to know anyways..._

He began; "Uzumaki Kushina, your mother, was the High Commissioner and Head Strategist of Uzushiogakure for fourteen years. She was several times offered professional training in ninjutsu and taijutsu, but turned it down every time. Your father eventually got her to admit that it was a way for her to disconnect herself from the people she killed, or more accurately ordered the deaths of, in war. After she joined Konohagakure she refused any involvement in the military, though still took up post as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. You almost certainly don't know what that means, but to put it simply; she talked to people, but she talked very, very well. She persuaded and convinced, and even manipulated. That's what a diplomat does. I've seen very few people who could talk like her. Your father..." his face relaxed into an expression of exhausted depression. "Was Namikaze Minato, the fourth Hokage of Konoha."

Naruto's eyes widened comically, while his jaw lowered slightly, adding to the look. Jiraiya's mouth quirked upwards against his will. "Little is known about him before he became my student, as not even he himself could remember. There was a gap in his memory before that. After, however, he spent most of the first 7 years of his life apprenticed to me, until he became a jonin at seventeen. Eventually the third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, or oji-san as you call him, decided his career as a ninja had gone on for more than long enough and stepped down, handing the hat of the Hokage on to your father. His rule was one of the most peaceful ones in the history of the elemental nations. Your mother and father worked very hard to make it happen, but for the first time in over three-hundred years, the world was at peace," he paused, not sure how to go on from here. "Then we were attacked by the Kyuubi. No one is entirely sure why; before this it, like most demons, was peaceful and had simply been the demon of symbiotism."

"Wha's symbiotism?"

_Perfectly said. Again. _"It's when two things live together, when the first lives off of what the other gives it, and the other lives off what the first gives it. That's symbiotism. Do you understand?"

"Yup. Teuchi-san tol' me something like that. 'The chef needs the money of the customer, and the customer needs the ramen of the chef,' so they work t'gether."

_And again... _"A bit rough, but yes. It's a common misconception that demons are a destructive force. Some are, but few, and they are just as necessary as the rest, though I don't see the need to explain that now. Demons are natural beings, but more so... they are physical representations of the natural forces that keep the world in balance. The Kyuubi especially, as it is that helping-eachother relationship that it ensures stays and is not abused. Do you understand?" he asked, watching his godson closely.

"Yup!" he grinned, clearly pleased with himself. "Bu' wha'll happen if it's gone now? That mean no more symbiotism?"

"No," responded Jiraiya. _He just followed a phrase with words he clearly shouldn't know, at the end also proving his understanding. _Jiraiya took out a pipe, filling it._ Even if the question was a little short-sighted, it still isn't something he should be asking at six. Sensei is _really _going to get it for being unobservant enough to not notice this." _The Kyuubi isn't physically symbiotism; it just corrects situations when it gets out of hand. Like the Konoha Police. They aren't actually the law, they just enforce it."

Naruto grinned. "Tha's not wha' Shisui-niisan says," Jiraiya's pipe nearly slipped from his teeth. "He says the police're a bunch'a arrogant pricks who don' know tha' difference 'tween justice an' pers'nal greed. He says they don' care 'bout the law jus' what they can get out of usin' it for their own gain."

_Hm... I should probably check this out with Sarutobi rather than trust the second- words of a child... still. Shisui? _"That may or may not be true, but you understand what I mean by that, yes?"

"Yup!"

"Usually the Kyuubi only came in for the rarest of occasions. When it did act it was very serious times. Otherwise it just hibernates. Why it came I really couldn't say, unless there was a lot more going on in Konoha than I thought. Still, I have to show you around the house now, unless you have more questions?" he smiled. Naruto looked thoughtful for a bit, then shook his head. "Then follow me."

Jiraiya led Naruto around to a lounge, dining room, bathroom, his own room and Naruto's, which was the only room on the second floor, and actually had the stairs leading straight into it. It was quite a small house, but very compact, surprisingly beautifully decorated, with a bit of an aristocratic look to everything but Naruto's and Jiraiya's own rooms.

"Naruto," said Jiraiya.

"Mmhm?" said Naruto, absentmindedly, looking around at everything. Jiraiya sighed.

"If I left you here to keep looking around while I did something, could I trust you to be careful, and not touch anything in my room?"

"A'course!"

"Good. Now, before I leave, I have a question for you Naruto, if you would." Said Jiraiya. Naruto turned around from climbing over the bed to face his godfather.

"Wha's tha problem?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that. I'm just wondering; you were paying attention when I was telling you your mother's job, yes?" Naruto looked shocked.

"A'course I was! It's ver' impor'ant ta me!" Naruto nearly yelled, offended.

"I'm not accusing you of anything, and certainly not disloyalty to your parents, it's just something that might help you later in life. You remember, yes?"

"Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, wasn' it?" said Naruto, confused. Jiraiya smiled back in response.

"Yes, yes, that was the one. I'll see you later, Naruto. Acquaint yourself with the house, don't leave it and if someone comes to the door tell them that I'll be back within the next five minutes."

"K'," said Naruto. With that, Jiraiya left to the Hokage's tower, which was just a few houses down the road.

* * *

Jiraiya didn't usually like living this close to the tower, it being the center of the city, not actually in the middle, but where the most of the business and trade happened, with stalls and shops all around the open square. He always preferred country life, a small home overlooking the sea, or a house on a river.

Most of it was open air markets; though arguably the biggest city in the Fire Country, it was far from the most developed. Konoha was hardly rich, having no actually valuable natural resources, other than lumber; city laws prevented any wood cutting in order to preserve the forest, though. The city ran mostly on taxes on the trade of other resources brought in, plus the income from hired ninja. It wasn't even coastal, so its trade was very limited. Although a strong military power, ninjas make far less income than a steady trade route.

He hurried on his way, striding through the great open doors of the tower, nodding to the two guards stationed there as he did.

"Afternoon, Kumiko, Tatano."

"You too, Jiraiya."

"Sir."

Kumiko really was a bit more stuck to her sense of duty than she should be, but then again, it was that thinking that kept Konoha running in its darkest times. But in peace... Jiraiya never could stand the thought of allegiance, blind will... not after the second war. But that was long ago. He'd moved on, he had to, even while some others had not.

He came to the office of his sensei, quickly straightened out his hair, brushed down his robes and knocked sharply.

"Jiraiya, not now..." groaned out a voice from behind the wood. "I really can't handle more work right now. Take care of it yourself, would you?" The exhaustion was easily heard in the voice of the Hokage.

Jiraiya cleared his throat, "I'm afraid I can't do that with this, Sensei."

"Come in. Let's get this over with," groaned Sarutobi. Jiraiya walked in, bowed slightly, and eyed his sensei with a blank face, then an expression of worry. His age was very clearly set in the wrinkles, the scars, in the exhaustion of the eyes. The eyes of a man whose body is falling away from him, bit by bit, who relied on his strength and who now knew that there was nothing he could do in his defense, and saw his death approaching with the effort of every breath.

'_No person should have to stress at that age; if only Tsunade could have become Hokage after Minato...' _thought Jiraiya. "You look well," said Jiraiya.

"Thank you, Jiraiya, but I haven't gone senile yet," said Hiruzen, laughing softly, breaking into a few heaving coughs.

"You need rest," said Jiraiya.

"I don't have _time_ for rest, Jiraiya. Why've you come to see me?" said Hiruzen, steeling himself.

"I have invited Naruto to live with me. He is being beaten by some people who aren't over the Kyuubi attack, and I have seen fit to intervene. He has also demonstrated remarkable deductive capacity for his age, and has shown the ability to mimic tone, expression and sound down to shockingly exact detail, including an extended range of tone, lower than a boy his age should normally be able to speak," said Jiraiya.

"So?" said Hiruzen, his gaze harsh, his voice cracking.

"_So?" _spluttered Jiraiya, shocked. "I inform you that Minato's son is being _beaten _by the citizens of your _village_ and you say _so? _Where is your _honour?"_

Hiruzen squinted his eyes and bared his teeth in an expression of rage, and began, quietly; "Jiraiya, this is a village that once was held in regards as one of the greatest in the world; traders from as far as the country of _Wine _came here. It _flourished _as a center of culture, trade, growth, and was even starting to lose the need to maintain a standing force of ninja _we were that filthy RICH! _Minato is _DEAD! _The old market square in the eastern corridors is in _RUINS! _We have one of the largest cities in the world, in one the _hottest _places in the world!" he spoke out, his voice gravelly with exhaustion, "Minato made the city to big, Jiraiya, and we have no food. When we were trading with Grass country the price of bread was three yen, Jiraiya, _three yen! _We can't grow grain at those prices in Fire country, the ground is too dry! The farmers couldn't afford to keep their farms, and those that did are now on _strike _demanding higher prices at the market, but the _merchants_ can't sell any noodles at the prices the _farmers _need just to live! _THERE IS NO FOOD, JIRAIYA! The Grass country backed off from pressure from the Earth country, but the peasants don't understand that, and WON'T PAY TEN TIMES THE PRICE FOR A FUCKING BOWL OF RAMEN!" _Hiruzen stopped, panting, and clutched his left ribs, moaning in pain. "The people are revolting, Jiraiya. All our food is imported at insane prices since our own farmers can't afford to clothe their families. Only the rich in Konoha can afford to eat, and the middle class has nearly died out. As an emergency measure," he croaked out, "I sent in ninja to put down the revolting peasants, who blame the farmers for the strike, and the revolting farmers who blame the peasants for the prices. Now," he said, laughing out in sadness, "They both think that I am to blame, for my harsh response."

Jiraiya simply stared, shocked.

Hiruzen turned to look out the left window, "Isn't it... funny, how the world just... _fucks _you, the _irony_, hmm?" He turned back to Jiraiya, and his face fell into sadness, and grief. "I don't have the time to deal with one child beaten out of hundreds, one crying voice in a sea of starvation. The kid is _alive,_ Jiraiya, and that is enough for my _honour _to lie content, knowing that his life, despite whatever bonds I might have with his father, is not something I _need _to _care _about. I don't have that much longer to live. I can feel death knocking on my door, just _waiting _for me to croak. I'm 77, Jiraiya. Ninja aren't supposed to live that long. They are supposed to die at 40, so that the younger generation can take over. But if I die, then _Danzo _will take over," he said, spitting the name as if it was the devil, "and he will run this village into the ground. He cares for it so much... he _really _does... but he thinks of the people as a function of the city and not the other way around." He paused.

"You should leave, Jiraiya."

"I had no idea, Sarutobi-sensei. I..."

"Yes, you haven't been in the village since Minato died. I don't want to hear why, right now, just leave me alone. Just... just go, already. I'm not your sensei."

Jiraiya turned to leave, opened the door and spoke, "I am sorry, Sarutobi, but you will always be my sensei."

* * *

Well, that was my story, tell me what you think, check for corrections and please read my comments st the top of each chapter, like this one. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2: Desperation

_A RAGE UPON YOUR WOSE, AND A WOSE UPON YOUR FAMILY!  
_

I have returned with a new chapter. It's shorter, since I figrued the end was just a good place for it to stop. It's cheap-ass way to force you into reading the third chapter I'm currently writing :D

Keep in mind, Idon't believe in god-like powers that place any very skilled man above three skilled men. It just doesn't make sense to my logic. I do, however, believe in godly powers of persuasion, misdirection, understanding, inspiration and so forth, so you can expect that.

Suggestions, comments, and so forth are greatly appreciated. I would love to hear anything you have to say on my writing, as this is the first story I have ever published. If you have question on anything, ask me either as a review, or as a private message and I'll try to get back to you.

If you see spelling or grammar mistakes, please mention it, even if someone already has, I may have missed it.

I AM Canadian, and will be writing in Canadian English (It DOES have its own spellings, filthy Americans!), as a warning to all those out there who speak American, British or any other dialect of English. My spelling or grammar may not neccesarily be wrong, so when you review about it, please be logged at the time so I can write back to you.

This chapter is dedicated to my departed cat, Minew. Eaten by coyotes.

* * *

_The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all. –  
H. L. Mencken_

Chapter Two

_I thought, that maybe if I could just go that little bit faster, than I would forget the reason I was here in the first place..._

One Year Earlier...

"Contentment's a tough thin' tah find in a post-woh civilization."

"Oh, so yah a philosopher now, are ya?"

"Shut up, Kuni. Ah'm tryin' tah be serious, here. Why you think we're out here in the first place, eh?"

"Ah'm here 'cus mah parents're from Husokawa. You, on the other hand were just too much've a lazy ass back in town to git yerself a steady job."

"Ah haul mah gear as much as the next man!"

"Yup. Ye do now that ye hav' tah, but ye complain more than the next man, I kin tell ye that much."

As Yuri spluttered, another man, with much lighter skin than the tanned duo, wearing a soft, rich set of clothing, a dark blue and white striped coat and matching tweed pants, wearing a black, baggy, round hat that stuck out front to keep the sun out of his eyes.

"Damnit, Panuke, do you have ta wear that hideous set of clothing? Who'd you con it offa anywho?" said Kuni.

"I'm sure you can find it in your heart _somewhere_ to not immediately assume I stole all that I own," responded Panuke, with a grin. It was more unnerving than reassuring, as he seemed to be missing several teeth.

"Yer a con an' a thief, Pacha. You tryin' tah tell me you ain't?" said Yuri.

"All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it."

"Ha! That's rich. Anyone evah believe ya on that point?" said Kuni, raising an eyebrow.

"If they didn't, I'd have no one to con, now would I?" said Panuke, "but that's not why I came over here."

"Oh?"

"There's a gold mine of resources here. Of course, the first problem to consider is the environment, but that can easily be taken care of if you know where to find your labour," said Panuke, his eyes glittering with greed, his mouth split wide in a grin.

Yuri immediately stiffened up, and looked him back in the eye, "And why would you care so much about us with somethin' like that instead o' somethin' like, say, tryin' tah con us?"

"I applaud your failed attempt at grammar, but no, if I was trying to con you I wouldn't have mentioned my... habits in the first place," said Panuke.

"Ya didn't. We did," said Kuni, raising an eyebrow.

"That's beside the point!" said Panuke hurriedly, "the point is, these lands here are ripe for the picking, and completely unclaimed!"

Yuri and Kuni slowly looked around at their surroundings. Empty desert stretched out in every direction around the oasis that the small colony of outcasts and convicts had set up camp next to. "Ah'm sorry, ah wasn' aware sand was in such high demand right now," said Yuri.

"No, no sand isn't. But these dunes hold the highest grade iron in the elemental countries. The iron here, if actually mined and not wasted sitting down there, could be worth more money than I bet the two of you have ever seen," said Panuke, now showing a few too many teeth holes than the others really felt comfortable seeing.

"Suppose yah weren't a lyin' cheatin' bastard who'd sell you off foh' a new pair a' socks, suppose there really was some iron buried in these hills, what'd we have to do with it, eh?" asked Yuri.

Panuke looked back at him incredulously, "I'm sure you know that as well as I do, no? Your accents alone make it painfully obvious that the two of you are from the Barrens, and you, if I'm not mistaken," he pointed at Kuni, "are from the Husokawan National Mining Corps and you," he pointed at Yuri, "were the chief financial director of Koya Resources. The two of you are clearly the most experienced here at this, and who better to go into business with than those who know best what you're getting into?"

"Yah lied tah me about yah parents!"

"So? You, an _accountant?_ Are yah kidding me?"

"There's plenty of time for catching up between friends later, after we've sorted out the details, but for now, let me offer you some... rather more persuading arguments...

* * *

Present Day...

Naruto sat in the study of Jiraiya's house, surrounded by books on various topics, decorations from distant countries and a middle-aged man with a long, black mustache and beige clothing decorated with beige flower designs. Really, it would have been beautiful if it wasn't so bland.

"With Tea and Spice warring over the fertile lands of Ukoshima, who do you think lost?" he asked, hands tucked away behind his back.

Naruto furrowed his brow, thinking, _'Tea Country had the navy, Spice had the army, so over the Ukoshima Islands it wouldn't make sense if Spice could have won... but Irijia-Sensei wouldn't have asked it if it was that simple... think, Naruto, think! It was the 600's, so Tea was on the rise, but Spice did have the advantage of the continental colonies, and the ally of Wave, but Wave was going through a rebellion then, and would have been too busy to help... Rice's massive bunes weren't in the picture yet... _"Um... as far as I could tell, it had to be the country of Spice, Irijia-sensei, there's no way I can see that Tea could have lost a war over islands without much more help than Spice had."

"Wrong." Naruto slumped in disappointment, although really, he saw this coming. Irijia-sensei really was a taskmaster when it came to history. Irijia went back to rubbing that absurd mustache of his disapprovingly, probably just to piss Naruto off... that was why he usually did it (At least, in Naruto's opinion.)

"I had hoped that after these months of teaching you would understand this lesson on your own. Maybe not. I'll give you one more chance to guess it right, if you don't, you're going back to grammar drills until you can prove your worth again," Naruto winced at that; he was really, really lucky Jiraiya let him learn history instead of grammar from Irijia-sensei, after showing such an interest in it.

'_What could I possibly be missing...? Oh...' _"The Ukoshima Islands lost."

Nothing had changed about the appearance of Irijia, except that he seemed to be rubbing his mustache in a slightly different way _'You know there's a serious mental problem with your sensei when you can tell his emotions only by his mustache,' _thought Naruto.

"Correct," said Irijia, face stoic as ever, fingers twirling the tips of his long, black mustache, "who won?"

'_Damnit! Okay, so Tea still lost a lot of men to Spice nonetheless, I will assume, so it was probably not someone actually in the conflict that would have profited most...' _"Ne, Irijia-sensei, may I ask a question?"

"If it is appropriate, I will answer," responded Irijia, heating some water in a teapot.

"Does the answer have to be a country?"

"No."

"The Fire Nation Wood Co."

"Wrong," said Irijia, steeping a very sharp smelling blend of tea in a small cup.

Naruto flung himself to his knees, arms splayed out ,"NO! Don't tell me I have to go back to grammar drills! PLEASE, Irijia-sensei, don't do that, anything but that!" Irijia rolled his eyes at his student's melodrama.

"No, Naruto, your first answer was enough for you to continue you studies," Naruto's sensei carefully ignored his students overdone reaction, "explain your second."

"Well, I figured, since the islands had so few people the iron smiths wouldn't have needed to make much in the way of weapons, the natives would have been put down easy. So the only thing else would be Tea and Spice's lost ships, and nowhere nearby has better lumber than our own," said Naruto, sheepishly.

"So you decided that because ships were lost the wood companies would make money?" said Irijia, rubbing his mustache outwards.

"Uh... yeah."

"And you don't think that's a bit too simple?"

"Well... I couldn't really think of anything else..."

"Spice won." Naruto squinted his eyes.

"What? How?"

"They lost the islands, yes. But they never fought for them in the first place. They offered up no troops to defend them, sent no ships to attack with, the natives were ruthlessly slaughtered."

"Then how was this a win for anyone other than Tea?"

"So you've just heard that your enemy now owns some incredibly fertile cropland..."

"Uh huh..." said Naruto, impatiently.

"...and it's on islands..."

"Uh huh..."

"...and you have the most powerful navy in the region at your disposal."

"So?" said Naruto, confused.

"Do you expect resistance?"

"Of cou... OH!" Naruto slammed his fist into the palm of his hand, his eyes lighting up with realization.

"You expect an epic scale naval battle. So what do you do?" said Irijia, a small smile on his face in a display of emotion rarely seen.

"You send in a massive fleet... if not the whole fleet!" said Naruto, grinning.

"Leaving the coastal forces ill equipped to deal with the entire Spice navy. Once the beach was taken, the army streamed in off the ships, and Tea never rose to great military power ever again, because of that one fatal mistake. You must never forget, Naruto..." began Irijia.

"...The most dangerous enemy is your own arrogance," finished Naruto, imitating Irijia's dry voice and stoic expression exactly, while nodding sagely and rubbing a non-existent mustache.

"Exactly. The downfall of all great empires," said Irijia.

A sharp knock was heard at the doorway, and the fusuma slid to the side as Jiraiya walked through the doorway. Before he could say anything, Irijia raised the cup of tea in his direction, "Chamomile?"

"Thank you, Irijia," he sipped the tea slowly.

"Ah. That's good tea. You always seem to know just what I need at any given time. How go the studies, Naruto?"

Naruto grinned at his mentor, "Awesomely. Irijia-sensei almost made me go back to doing grammar drills!" Jiraiya stared at him, deciding he wasn't being sarcastic.

"You realize you're grinning like a madman at that, yes?" he said.

"I _like _history," said Naruto.

"The kid likes history," said Irijia.

"Well. It's good to see you're speaking without that eastern accent," said Jiraiya. Naruto hmphed, crossing his arms immaturely, "Naruto, while I have nothing against it, it doesn't leave a good first impression on the west side of the city. They tend to think of them as thieves and con artists."

"Yeah, I know. That's just not fair, though, why do they?" said Naruto, pouting quite cutely.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at that, "How did you make a living there, with no parents?"

Naruto squirmed a bit at that, "Well, you know, uh... eh... 'equalizing opportunity.'"

"Heh, nice, I should remember that one. But," he said, adopting a more serious face, "that's not why I interrupted your lesson. We're leaving, Naruto."

* * *

Konoha was a city of hundreds of thousands of people, and had given birth to one of the greatest powers ever seen in the southern countries. But it had lost its army in the Third Great Shinobi War, and its will with the death of Minato. It was rebuilding, refurbishing, but with the retreat of its last ally, Grass country, the food crisis stepped in.

The wages of the ninja were cut, major construction came to a halt, crime spread throughout as people couldn't afford to eat, couldn't afford to buy clothes, jobs became harder and harder to find, and any way to keep your family eating seemed appealing. The streets in the eastern corridors were filled with the poor and the homeless, and the rich did everything they could to cut losses. Children of ninja families started leaving to join the emerging mobs as their families lost everything they had and promotion through the ranks of ninja seemed almost impossible and even not worth it. With the chance of death so high, the training and effort to become skilled and the wages so cut as they were, chunin had a hard time breaking even, and the genin who were too old to find new work either joined the mob, deserted or had rich relatives that could keep them eating. The gangs kept a skilled ninja much better paid, with those skills so highly valued in the mob. The last bits of pride of the people of the city had disappeared with the wind of change. The police were easily paid off, corrupt and in decline as they were. The eastern corridors, already in squalor, were destroyed as the crime wars raged, almost as a mockery in what used to be the commercial center of Minato's trade empire.

A cloud of depression spread over the city, as desperation leaked into the homes of the poor, and the east seemed to be much more of the city than ever before, the rich were isolated, and just as the city seemed to be able to fall no further, an unsettling and suspicious peace settled over the ruins of the east.

But this was not heard in the house of Jiraiya, who lived next to the Hokage's Tower and did not let the child he saw as his son be exposed to the suffering outside their door.

Naruto, having had more than enough bad experiences before he met Jiraiya to have little trouble agreeing to stay indoors. But you can't isolate a child forever.

* * *

"Damnit, Jiraiya, you know I owe you, but..." the obese man with a thick mustache and a number of expensive looking rings shifted uncomfortably, which in his case meant shifting quite a lot. He leaned in closely, and lowered his voice to a whisper, "I've got the Kowachi gang breathing down my neck, and I don't think I can do this for you."

Jiraiya rushed forward faster than Naruto had ever seen him move before, faster than he'd ever seen a man so old move and grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt, knocking over the chair he was sitting on. "Now look here you worthless bag of _fat_, I took you in when you were a piece of _shit _on the side of the road, _starving_ to death in the middle of a tiny village in the Suna deserts, I fed you, I taught you how to make a living and I gave you a life and now you sit here tell me that you _ don't think you can't do this for me. _Do you think I care what the Kowachi think, _little man?"_

"Hey hey hey I... I didn't say anything about not being able to do _nothing _for you, maybe, maybe I can find another per- someone- a- another person that can!" Jiraiya looked down at the man in disgust, letting him go and throwing him back. Naruto pulled down on Jiraiya's cloak, but was ignored.

"You're so full of _shit, _you know that?"

"Look, I, uh, I can get Somali to do this for you, he's my best man!"

"No he isn't, Migite is."

"Heh, well, Somali's one of my best. Don't you worry, he's very reliable!"

"Whatever you say. Just so long as we get there unnoticed." Naruto pulled on his cloak again, "Um, Jiraiya..." _He's lying, _he wanted to say.

"Trust me, Naruto, I know."

* * *

Whispering very quietly while crouched in the shadows to the side of the Kabuki theatre, Jiraiya said to Naruto, "Listen closely, I don't believe I have the time to say it twice, when Somali arrives we have to be long gone. He won't come alone, and if the Kowachi have organized themselves with the other mobs, then with the amount of ninja they have now I can't take them. Some of them are far too skilled for me to take alone."

"I can help you, Jiraiya," said Naruto, looking determined enough to take on the entire Kowachi gang at once. Jiraiya looked away and brushed a tear out of his eye so Naruto wouldn't see.

"I know you would, Naruto. I know. But we have to leave. I sent a chakra pulse out a few moments ago. A contact of mine will arrive. When he does, he'll drop a smoke bomb, you probably won't see him arrive. The _second that happens, _the _instant, _jump on my back. You hear me, Naruto? You jump on my back, and don't you _ever _loosen your grip."

"I got it, Jiraiya. Why do we have to go?"

"I don't have time, I'll tell..." the entire street filled up with smoke, and the sound of weapons being unsheathed and thrown was heard as iron clipped off brick and stuck into wood. Jiraiya felt small hands clutch around his neck. He jumped off through the smoke, zipping over through the streets, relying on his hearing to guide him through. The sounds of pursuers were ignored as he ran as fast as he could in the back alleys, trying to stay as hidden as possible. Jumping to the right sharply, he felt Naruto's hands slip a bit, but as tempted as he was to slow down, he couldn't risk them getting caught up to. Readying a seal, he tied it to a kunai and threw it at the upcoming gates of Konoha, feeling the hands of Naruto tighten themselves again. Ignoring the explosion he jumped to the left, a couple explosive notes wouldn't open the gates while they were closed, but they might make people think he thought so.

"_Hold tight!" _he whispered to Naruto, hoping he would hear. He started moving his hands quickly as he felt Naruto's legs and arms squeeze him tighter. He finished his seals and slipped into the ground, appearing on the other side of the wall. Rushing off into the woods he shouted "Naruto! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Jiraiya could hear some of his pursuers crashing through the bushes. Either they knew about the hole in the wall's seals and had earth nature chakra, or some of the ninja following had made it over the wall. '_Damnit!' _thought Jiraiya. _'This is NOT good!'_

"Naruto!" said Jiraiya. "Listen closely! When I let you down, I want you to run and run and don't you dare stop until you either collapse to the ground or reach the Suna desert!"

Naruto took that very badly, "What do you mean? Jiraiya, tell me you'll be okay!"

"Just do it, Naruto!" said Jiraiya. "Promise me!"

"I... I promise," said Naruto. Now he too could hear the ninja approaching. Jiraiya stopped short, dropped Naruto to the ground and turned to the enemy.

Naruto ran through the trees as fast as his little legs would carry him.

* * *

Et Wallah! Un autre chapitre! I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I liked writing it, and hope you'll be waiting when I come around with the next chapter. I'll try to update once a week, on Wednesdays. If I don't, well, feel free to take it out on my sister (Just kidding, I love you Désirée!)


	3. Chapter 3: Green

_ALLO, WEAK AND SIMPLE MINDED FOOS!_

Before I begin this chapter, I'd like to comment on something, as a reader of my story and a fellow writer wrote a couple of reviews. I tried to respond to them, but he or she had private messaging disabled. He/She wrote:

_Canadians "may" have slightly different spellings for a few words... but I bet I know three words we spell exactly the same._

_Fuck You, Asshole. _

Originally I wasn't sure what exactly this person might have against Canadians, as I was just pointing out that there were spelling differences, but I then found he/she had written a second review:

_It figures that you are French Canadian. You certainly have the condescending arrogance of your ancestral lands down pat.  
Could that possibly be why you are so sensitive about your English grammar? Hmm... some sort of "English is my second language because it was forced down my throat by the British" inferiority complex?_

I love to receive criticism, and am always looking to improve my writing, but if you have racist, sexist, or any form of discriminatory comments, you could at least have the grace to not post them in public. If you have something against me, my heritage, or anything I have said, write me what you have to say personally, rather than let what you've written insult anyone else who might read it.

In addition, it has been almost 50 years since the French speaking population of Canada were forced to speak English or couldn't occupy management positions, and I personally have nothing against the English language. I haven't said anything rude about your language, please don't about my own.

Moving on.

I apologize that this is four days late, I just kept having TOO MANY IDEAS! I had to throw out so many of them, and wrote up a two page monologue listening to some Tchaikovsky that will be going in the next chapter...

Recently I found out that bees don't just use honey to make honeycombs, they actually eat it, not pollen. I had no frelling idea. Now you know.

If you see spelling or grammar mistakes, please mention it, even if someone already has, I may have missed it.

I AM Canadian, and will be writing in Canadian English (It DOES have its own spellings, filthy Americans!), as a warning to all those out there who speak American, British or any other dialect of English. My spelling or grammar may not neccesarily be wrong, so when you review about it, please be logged at the time so I can write back to you.

This chapter is dedicated to my departed cat, Whitecat. Died of old age a few years after losing a leg getting hit by a car.

* * *

_...when I have been in Canada, I have never heard a Canadian refer to an American as a "foreigner." He is just an "American." And, in the same way, in the United States, Canadians are not "foreigners," they are "Canadians." That simple little distinction illustrates to me better than anything else the relationship between our two countries. -  
Franklin Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. President_

Chapter 3

_My experiences from my journeys across the countries gave me insight, but maybe that made me too arrogant, too sure of my knowledge..._

Three days of running would have anyone exhausted. Naruto, as it was, had not slept, eaten, or stopped.

He didn't quite understand it, but here in the forest, he felt so full of life and surrounded by energy. It seemed whenever he felt he could run no longer, he felt himself filled with this energy he had never felt before, thick, powerful, wild but calming. If it wasn't for that, he thought, the panic after Jiraiya left him would have taken over.

Throughout all nine years of his life, Naruto had only once entered a forest.

Suddenly, seemingly from nowhere, a root tripped him and he fell to the ground, slamming into the dirt with a thud. Reeling in pain and confusion from the hit, he tried to bring himself back to his feet, but was thrown back to the ground as a wave, an onslaught of vines, roots, leaves and fungus engulfed him. He struggled and yelled, but found himself helpless. He screamed in panic, and as he did, just as before when he felt panic, a wave of comfort and peace came over him, and kept coming, filling every inch of his body as he had never been before. As quickly as he felt it come, it left, and exhaustion overtook him, sending him into a deep sleep. Unconscious, he didn't feel the masses of vines, leaves and mushrooms squeezing tighter around him.

* * *

Several Days Later...

As he slowly gained consciousness, Naruto noticed two things.

The first was that he was surrounded by incredibly thick undergrowth, but was in a small clearing of sorts just a foot or two around him.

The second was that he was indescribably thirsty.

He felt as if his entire body was aching in a desperate need for water, in a desert of dry dunes.

Ignoring all else, he scrambled to his feet, desperately pushing the plants out of his way, despite his muscles, which were aching in pain from the run and from disuse. After a minute or two of forcing his way out, he found himself in a forest so foreign to the one he'd seen before.

The trees grew to incredible heights, towering in the sky to the heavens, the surroundings were filled with massive roots, thicker than his entire height twice over, vines that twisted and turned across the ground, making a carpet over the previously barren ground, plants with leaves bigger than his body by far, with the most beautiful shades of coloured flowers. Delicate aromas gently floated about in the breeze, from exotic fruits, sharp, tangy, spicy, to the soft scent of flowers, all manners of shades. He smelt quite a few things he recognized, and one in particular that threw his eyes open.

Water.

He ran off, scrambling over roots and under leaves in a desperate run for survival, as the thought he couldn't smell water slipped out of his mind, as did the thought that he had no clothes.

After fifteen minutes of running, with the smell getting stronger with every step, he finally heard the soft roar of a waterfall in the distance. Continuing his march, he eventually came to a river at the foot of a waterfall, and threw himself at the bank and gulped up water as fast as he could.

The feeling of it on his lips was incredible, and after nearly half a minute of gulping down water, he threw up into the river, the water washing away the stomach acid. Still thirsty, but tired, disoriented and in pain, he rolled onto his back, falling off the bank and into the river.

He'd heard of rivers, and waterfalls, but had never seen one himself. He'd never seen a lake, or a pond, or anything even remotely similar. In his years and years of living on the street with no parents, no family or educators, he'd never even been told the simplest thing imaginable; that you couldn't breathe underwater.

Not knowing, Naruto didn't react when he fell in, and lying there in the water, he felt a warm feeling as the sun, not covered by the canopy on the river, broke through the waves and warmed his skin. He felt a giddiness rise up in his stomach, rising and making him burst into a giggling fit. He laughed for a while, then after a few minutes, he calmed down, and looked up through the surface of the water at the sky, and thought of Jiraiya.

But rather than sadness, confusion came to his mind. In all his mind, he couldn't imagine why Jiraiya would want them to leave Konoha. He thought to himself of how in the house of Jiraiya, there was nothing to fear, there were no real serious worries; Konoha was a peaceful city, it was a stable, secure. Troubles were historical things, not something for the real-world present

How naive Naruto was.

Worried, but still a bit giddy, Naruto stood up, and stepped out of the water. Stretching, he noticed he had no clothes on, and looked down at his body.

He had a light green tint to his skin.

His first thought, in sudden panic, was of all the foreign diseases his biology sensei, Noburatori-hakase, had told him about, things that turned your skin black, or red, or blue... but those were from blood, or dead skin. Green... green was an odd colour to have on skin. He poked himself in the stomach, not really sure what to think about this. Thinking to his studies, he realised that green in animals was only ever just blue and yellow combined, not a natural green; but that would need him to have grown two new layers of skin, which just seemed ridiculous. Other than that there was chlorophyll, but he was quite clearly NOT a plant.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, this was not what he needed right now, so overwhelmed with confusion as he was, from Jiraiya's sudden escape, to his three day run, to these strange feelings he'd been having, his sudden thirst for water and now this...

Naruto decided to ignore all these questions until he at least had some clothes. Jiraiya had taught him how to sow in his etiquette studies, and there were more than enough (and, he thought, tough enough) massive leaves he could use back where he ran from to make some clothing, he just needed something to use as string...

Looking around the river, he thought for a bit about what to do now that he was out here, trying to push his other questions to the back of his mind. Noburatori-hakase had taught him how to boil, split and cord stripped willow bark to make thin cords. Unfortunately, he'd have to bake some of the clay from the river to make a container for the water, and that would at least take a day or two after he'd set up a fire.

Grinning and setting to work collecting firewood, he silently thanked his sensei... he'd never dreamed he'd ever had to use this knowledge, he always thought it useless.

* * *

Two Weeks Later...

It took him a few tries to make, trying to recall his sowing lessons, but Naruto was now wearing a suit sown together from the thickest, strongest leaves he could find at the center in what he now called "Mumbaiya", the area where he first tripped, filled with massive plants, towering trees and all manner of wildlife, named after a mythical creature made of living vines. It was very well sown and cut, and if it were a different colour, it would probably be mistaken for leather. He had used dried sap to glue smaller leaves, from normal trees and bushes, down the arms and legs for camouflage, and was also wearing a pair of gloves and boots made from the same leaves. For leaves they were remarkably strong, much stronger than they should normally be. He didn't wear any headgear, since his skin tone and his hair, which had apparently turned a dark green, were camouflage of their own.

He had made himself a waterskin, which dangled on a cord from his waist, and a backpack, filled with tools, food, materials and five more waterskins. It seemed after his trip he drank a lot more water than he used to.

He was making his way further down the river, past the waterfall, as he had been for the past two weeks after he made his suit, and decided to stop for a dip in the river. He took off his suit, and his bag, and dove in, turning up to face the light of the sun. He sighed at the feeling of warmth, and giddiness, and he was filled with energy. He was, he had decided, at least partly, a plant.

He guessed it was probably a kekkei genkai, something in his blood, triggered by him entering the deep forest. From what he had seen, plants around him seemed to grow at ridiculous speeds, and until he got his boots, everywhere he walked was marked by a trail of fresh grass, and small plants, recently grown. Even the leaves on his suit wouldn't decay; they still acted as if they were alive, and would even fix themselves slowly on the rare occasions it was cut.

For the past week and a half he'd been followed by a couple dozen bees that had made a nest in his backpack. He was at first terrified they would attack him, but they just kept to themselves and didn't touch any of his things, which he had then moved to a new, second pouch hanging under his backpack. The bees didn't seem to mind being jostled by him moving around, and their honeycombs were more than strong enough to withstand any falls or him leaning on it. They would just harvest the pollen from the flowers around Naruto or just hover around his backpack, working on their colony. At first it annoyed him, but after they stung off a forest tiger, he changed his mind. They seemed very protective of him.

After a while, he got out of the river and continued down his way. He'd been moving the way Jiraiya had told him to since he got his suit, figuring that was what he wanted him to do. Over the past few days, the forest had been thinning, and the river had been shrinking ever so slowly. Now, it was barely a stream, just wide enough for Naruto to bathe in it. He knew he was heading to the desert, but he wasn't sure what to think about leaving the forest.

On one hand, there'd be no more tigers, giant snakes or poisonous insects to worry about, but on the other, the thought of running out of water terrified him greatly. Thinking on it, he decided that it would be best to try going through the desert, that was what Jiraiya wanted, he though. He decided he should spend the next few days of his journey preparing for the dunes that marked the border between the Fire and Wind nation.

* * *

Three Days Later...

Finally, he had arrived at the desert. The river had long since dried up, but Naruto had managed to avoid using his water supply thanks to waterholes along the way. Looking out at the vastness of the open dunes, he realized that would no longer be an option. He had prepared himself for this, the only way he knew how, two dozen more waterskins, in or hanging off his pack at various places. Stepping out of the forest, he felt the dry, biting wind hit his face, taking with it some grains of sand. With that moment, Naruto considered turning back, maybe outfitting himself with better clothing, or equipment, but realized he had no idea what that would be. Licking his lips, he stepped again, and started out across the dunes, fearing what was to come. His fears were settled somewhat by the fact that his bees hadn't stopped buzzing, and were still working away at their hive. He silently hoped they had enough honey to make the journey.

* * *

One Day Later...

An unbearable feeling of terror had swept over Naruto, as he took of a glove and saw the light green-brown shade his skin had taken. He thought he saw water over every dune. The feeling of thirst had pushed him to a state of mind that he had never had before, feeling as if the world had crumbled away around him and there was nothing left but depression and the _endless _ebb of the dry desert winds. He thought briefly of his bees, who seemed to be fine. They had journeyed far across the dunes in search of flowering cacti and shrubs. Naruto assumed they had found some, but in his delirious state of thirst he didn't pay it much thought. He could smell water from miles away, but no matter how far he went, not a single drop was found.

He had drunk all 27 waterskins in the first day of walking, and now, on his second, didn't even feel the sand rise up to meet his face. As his consciousness faded he could hear the sound of his bees racing around in panic, but all he could think of was how he had developed an unbearable itch on the tip of his nose...

* * *

"Hey, ah think he's comin' around."

"Hey, kid! What're doing out in'a desert without a Keffiyah or a Thawb? You wanna die in a' heatstroke'r somethin'?"

"Yuri! This is a kid! Don't be so mean, the kid's obviously from the West Isles, he woun't know nothin' about desert gear," Kuni looked down at the dark skinned, young child laid before her. "Can you hear me, kid?"

Naruto, now quite awake, but too exhausted to speak, just nodded his head slowly.

"Wha's yer name?" asked Yuri.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't form any words, thirsty as he was.

"I think he's dehahdrated, Yuri."

"Huh... would yah look at that, his lips're all cracked up," said Yuri. "Better be careful with this'un. Yokojima!" he yelled, "Bring water!"

Naruto, through blurry vision, could make out the image of a man walking into the room with a bucket. His eyes snapped open, but as much as he tried, he couldn't bring his body to move.

"Just dab his lips, he's in serious dehahdration," said Yuri. Yokojima nodded, set down the bucket, took off his gloves and dabbed water onto Naruto's lips with his fingers. Naruto licked his lips, and after a few more sips like that, rolled his torso off the bed, his head falling into the bucket.

Yuri sighed. "You'll throw up if yah drink that, kid, yer too dehydrated..." he said, pulling him out of the bucket and back onto the bad.

The three people in the room stood still in shock. The bucket was completely drained, and the kid in front of them had a green head.

"Uh, I don' think tha' kid's from the West Isles, Kuni."

* * *

After several minutes straight of drinking water, Naruto's face had flushed out again, and he had fallen fast asleep in the soft covers of the bed he was in.

"Holy shit."

"He just drank eleven liters a' water."

"There's no way that actually fits in his body."

"Is'at even a he? I think it's a plant."

"Tha'd explain the bees..."

Yokojima just shook his head at the two, and pulled the sheets over Naruto's body. He turned around and shooed Yuri and Kuni out the entrance to the tent. After a bit of grumbling, they left quietly.

"Well? Who is this mysterious person we've found?" asked Panuke, approaching the two. "Keep it short, the high wall broke again, and the ore needs to be carried up by hand."

Kuni looked over at Panuke in annoyance, "How many times have I told yah ta replace those wooden matchsticks you call 'supports' wi' cross-hatch roofin'?"

"And how many times have I told you we can't afford them?" responded Panuke, equally annoyed.

"You'd have people die in one a' them cave-ins then pay money for decent supports!"

"And you'd have them starve to death on lower wages to pay for them!"

"We think the kid's got a kekkei genkai of some sort, but we're waitin' on Yokojima for that," said Yuri.

"What makes you think that?" asked Panuke, as if nothing had just been going on.

"Well," said Kuni, "he's got a chakra-fed bee colony in his backpack, his clothes regenerate while he's wearin' 'em, he drank eleven litres a' water, makes plants around him grow, and has green skin and hair."

"Well," said Panuke, looking over at the massive vines growing around the boy's tent, "that's… quite interesting. Eleven litres, you said?"

"Eleven."

"Expensive kid isn't he… but he just might be able to solve our problem with supports on the mine shafts…" he said, grinning wildly, his hands fiddling with a pocket watch.

"Ah seen tha' look, Pacha," said Yuri, squinting partly from the bright sun, partly in suspicion, "We find a kid in the desert, not too far from death by dehahdration and your standin' here, thinkin' a' how ta use him ta make money. Tha's jus' sick, man." He spit off to the side of him, then looked back up at Panuke, "Yah wanna use him ta grow wood fer the shafts, right?"

"That is the general idea, yes. I believe you already have an idea on the costs?"

"Well," said Yuri, "Gimme a sec." He took out a toothpick, and stuck it between his lips. He furrowed his brows for a bit, rolling the toothpick around. "Assuming yah can git 4000 yen a barrel on water, average prices on transpahtation and maintenance fer soil in a barren climate, cropping equipment, 4.6% on taxes fer the extra land usage, etcetera, etcetera... I still need ta know how much we need to a metre a' shaftwork."

"Depending on the timber, ASSUMING the shafts are upgraded, 65 pounds on Mokutori timber, 40 on West Palm, 15 if we can get some Alpine from up north, but they'll nevah grow in weather like this, kekkei genkai be damned," said Kuni.

"What if we used Konoha timber?" asked Panuke. Kuni's eyes widened, and she bit her lip.

"Well, if we could get some, and somehow avoid the fact that it's _damned illegal_," she said, yelling, "probably about the same as the Alpine. But the cost in bribes might outweigh the benefit."

"No, no, I don' think it would... with the management and finance, with Konoha timber, we'd be savin' 94% on supports, if he grows 'em fast enough."

"94%!? Seriously? You sure yer math is right?"

"Ah'm good at what ah do, Kuni."

"94%... well," said Panuke, clapping his hands together, "excellent. Tomorrow, Yuri, start running the finances to get it going. Yuri, draw up the designs. I think I'd like to meet our new money-maker myself, now..."

Yuri rushed over to him, as he headed to the tent Naruto was in. "Now hold on a second Pacha, it might make money, but we don' know nothin' about this kid. Yah could be takin' him away from his family, or his clan, he might have people lookin' for him. Yah ain't about tah take his life away for a percentage, I ain't gonna let you." Yuri looked him in the eye, stern faced, hardened as he rarely ever was.

"Well. Aren't we all... emotional. I'm not stupid, Yuri, and I don't appreciate the implication that I would do that to a child. I might be a con and a greedy son of a bitch, but I can understand as well as anyone else family. So let me ask you: what kind of family sends their child, with a bloodline that requires him to drink obscene amounts of water into the desert? Even if they didn't, if he went out there on his own, it's not because he wanted to. He's either running away or was dumped," Panuke grinned cheekily. "I don't think we need to worry about his family, we'll just keep him well hidden, hm? Now let's go meet our guest..."

* * *

Smoke rose from the rooftops, dissipating into the thick smog of the factories, fires and cigarettes that floated over the city like the looming image of the cloak of death, wrapping around the city, watching the squalor of the peasants and the decadence of the rich alike. All day, all night, the ringing of metal, the roar of the fires filled the city, the factories running in the wake of a 'revolution' of industry. Lights filled the streets, softly illuminating the fog of industry, where people were born and died without ever seeing the lights of the night sky, the so-called 'Starless City' never stopped.

And down, away from the wealthy towers in the center, away from the casinos and clubs of the rich, in the wooden shacks hid away in the backstreets of the slums, a child was born, a girl. The mother screamed, and it was heard as just another sound made in the filth of skid row. As she came into the world, her mother looked into her face, and at her father. In the wake of a brief moment of joy, terror set in, and the two knew she had to leave.

They knew her uncle would be coming for her, her family would find her.

She couldn't stay. But her parents couldn't leave.

"Cho," her mother said, a name after her own mother. In sadness, she passed her daughter off to her brother, in the hopes of a life of freedom.

"I'm'a take good care'a her, sis. The best I can, I promise you that," with that he left, taking to the shadows as best he could. A man came down from the roofs, landing in front of the wife being comforted and embraced by her husband. Looking up at him, she said,

"You're too late, Shinji."

* * *

Entering the tent, Panuke asked Yokojima, "Can he be waked?"

The medic raised his hands together, and signed out a sequence of symbols.

"Hm. Alright, I'll keep it short, now wake him." As Yuri and Kuni walked in, Yokojima picked up a bottle resting on a small wooden table, pulling a bit to take it out of the moss patches that had grown on it. He uncorked it and Naruto immediately wrinkled his nose. He opened his eyes a crack, and looked over at the other people here.

"Hello, I'm Pankuke. Before we begin, is there anything I can get you, something you'd like, softer pillows, or a snack?" Naruto immediately recognized the move, from his lessons on diplomacy with Jiraiya. It was a classic move, especially on children, to open them up.

"Well..." started Naruto, licking his lips.

"Yes?"

"...I am kind of thirsty." To his credit, Panuke didn't bat an eye, although Kuni and Yuri looked at the kid funny. Yokojima grinned, and picked up a cup from beside Naruto's bed, and opened and dipped it into a large barrel of water, handing it over to Naruto, who downed it in a one short gulp. Naruto, having been asleep or drinking his entire stay here, hadn't had a good chance to look around the place, and was doing so now, though mostly just to annoy the man who obviously wanted something from him.

"No problem at all," said Panuke, putting on a smooth smile and bowing his head slightly. '_Oh,' _thought Naruto, '_this guy's good.' _"My companions and I found you dehydrated in the desert sands, clearly in desperate trouble. We took it upon ourselves to bring you back to health. It is very difficult, however, to safely operate on the body of someone with a unique kekkei genkai..."

'_Oh, that's what he wants' _thought Naruto, calmly looking everywhere in the room but at Panuke, mostly to bug him, but also partly because he didn't have the energy to do anything else.

"So in order to make sure you are actually completely healthy, we'll need to know about what it does, some family history, if you have some, and its effects on your body.

'_Everything, huh?' _"I'm an orphan, so I wouldn't know much about my family. I didn't actually know about my kekkei genkai until a few months ago. It makes plants around me grow," said Naruto, who despite giving only half-truths, had unknowingly given Panuke just the answer he was looking for.

"Oh, an orphan, hm?" said Panuke, and although his face was plastered in an image of sad understanding, his eyes glittered madly. "That must have been very hard on you; I lost my parents at a young age as well," _'Trying to draw attention away from my bloodline, huh? Nice try,' _"My name's Panuke. What's yours?"

"Naruto."

"Well, Naruto, what were you doing in the desert?"

'_Damnit, if I'm right and Jiraiya wanted us to leave because someone was after my bloodline, then I should probably stay quiet. Excuse, excuse...' _"I was curious about what was out here..." _'God damnit that sucked...'_

"Well, that wasn't a very smart thing to do, now was it? We brought you back here, but this is quite a ways away from the forests of Fire Country. We might not be able to get you back for quite a while, you should just settle in for the meantime." _'Right. Now I'm obliged to stay. Great.' _"How long were you out in the desert?"

"A whole day," said Naruto, trying to look nonchalant at it. Kuni tried to bite back a smile, while Yuri, unable to hold it in, rushed outside. In the distance, someone bursting into laughter could be heard from inside the tent.

Panuke simply nodded his head, and spoke, "If ever you should need anything, just ask Yokojima, he'll do his best to help you." Smiling, he bowed his head and left, followed by Kuni.

"Tha' was a lot shorter'n ah figured it'd be. Yah didn't press him on anything," said Kuni, curious. The three continued on their way away from the tents towards the cliffside, nearly barren of anything but a huge, ancient tree, white, with a few small leaves hanging off each of the massive limbs.

"Well, yeah, the kid was lying."

"What?"

"Yeah, he was probably raised by a diplomat or a spy, someone taught him to recognize a con. He knew what I was doing the moment I started. He _tried _to mislead me, but the kid seriously doesn't know the first thing about it. You could read everything on his face, he has no control. So I'm betting diplomat, not spy. He can read, but he can't act worth shit," said Panuke, rolling his eyes and heading right of the tree, where a fenced, wooden walkway had been built. It lead down into the massive abyss that split the lands in two, the rings of picks hitting stone coming up from the depths. "He knows quite well what his bloodline does, but he's afraid of talking about it. He also showed fear when I mentioned why he was in the desert, so we can assume they are most likely connected. His excuse, sadly, was quite lame, but he can learn, he's still quite inexperienced. He did tell the truth about being an orphan, though, although not completely..." he said. Smiling slightly, he said, "It's nice to know though that there are children out there interested in the diplomatic arts."

Kuni grinned cheekily, "Oh, you like the kid, don't you?"

"What? No, he's just a business opportunity, nothing more," said Panuke, defiantly.

"He likes him," said Yuri, nodding.

"Yah know, yah could consider takin' on an apprentice..." said Kuni, raising her eyebrows.

"It's a bit early to be jumping the gun on that, don't you think?" said Panuke, "Besides, you remember what happened last time I decided to teach someone my skills," he said sadly.

"Exactly mah point. Yah still haven' got over her. Yah haven' been the same since."

"Hmph. I don't need an apprentice to run a company, Kuni. I make my money well enough on my own."

He picked up the pace, walking down the wooden pathways lining the inside of the canyon. Kuni opened her mouth to protest that there was more to life, but was stopped when Yuri placed a hand on her shoulder. Looking back, she saw him shake his head, and she understood.

Panuke was in pain right now.

After a brisk walk, they came down to a large cavern carved into the side of the canyon, held up by large wooden supports that arched over the roof and were held by huge pillars. Several tables were set up, with many papers scattered about the place haphazardly. Mining could be heard as workers were at work carving out a room to the side, while a strong-looking woman with fiery orange-red hair, a mining hat with an unlit candle, overalls and a tool belt with various tools such as rope and hammers stood yelling at workers. She was smoking a thick cigar, and had a military presence about her, strict, ready and determined.

"Pacha! I was wondering when you'd be coming down here to get your hands dirty. We've got a coulp'a extra picks, want to come mining?" she asked, grinning evilly. Several of the workers and Yuri and Kuni laughed at this.

"Well, I appreciate the offer, but alas, my reasons for being here are strictly financial," said Panuke, forcing out a smile, nodding at her.

"Shame. We could'a used someone with as much experience as you in hard labour."

"Some other time, perhaps."

"Tell me, do those two follow you everywhere you go?" she asked, nodding at Yuri and Kuni, who smiled at her.

"Yes, they are my advisors, that's what advisors do. Shall we talk business?"

"Let's," she said, wiping the papers off of a table and taking a seat. As Panuke sat down opposite, she took her cigar out of her mouth, and suck the end on the wick of the candle, lighting it. Taking another puff, she leaned back, smiling like a tiger staring down a mouse.

"How much do you want for your workers to re-install new supports on all the tunnels?" asked Panuke.

* * *

In the burning wreckage of the small town of Amana, smoke rising from the roofs, blackened soot decorating the streets, blackened wood littering the broken buildings of the homeless, the wounded and burnt, families pulled their children out, helped out their neighbours, dusted themselves off and went to see who else needed help.

They'd made through this once before, they'd do it again.

Out of the burnt houses, came the burnt bodies of the dead, but also the hurt, but living bodies of the wounded. People were patched up, relatives were comforted, food was found, materials were salvaged, and as the saying went, no ninja left living, stays wounded.

Rebuilding had already begun, and families had reunited. They might burn their towns to the ground once, twice, three times, as many as they wanted to, but still it would never serve the purpose the Kage in Suna thought it would.

You could not intimidate a people with nothing left to live for.

In the deserts east of Suna, a woman stood calling her people to war.

* * *

As Panuke stood up to leave, the red-head called to him, grinning, "A pleasure doing business with you, Pacha."

He snorted. "You too, Sakura."

As they left, heading back up to the surface, Yuri asked, "Are you so certain tha' kids gonna help you?"

"He ran into the desert, alone, with no family, no friends. Anything is preferable to that," he said. Yuri nodded.

"Yah would know what tha's like," said Kuni. "Geeze, now that I think about it, you two do have a lot in common, maybe..."

"No, Kuni, I'm not taking him as an apprentice."

"Don' worry, Kuni. It was worth a shot," said Yuri.

* * *

Naruto stared down at the saplings in front of him, and looked back up at Yokojima.

"I don't know how to use it, it just happens," he said, completely honest.

Yokojima shook his head, and crouched down next to Naruto. He raised his hand, and it lit up with green light. With his hand he picked up Naruto's and placed it against his own, so the two had their palms against each other's. With a light push of his chakra, Naruto felt a force in his body push back, against the green light of Yokojima's.

"Wha- what's that?" asked Naruto, shocked, staring at his hands.

Yokojima smiled, and pointed to his chest, where, on the reddish shirt under his brown vest, were sown the kanji for 'Chakra.'

"Chakra?" asked Naruto. It wasn't that he had never heard of it before, simply that all he knew was that it was the energy ninja used for their special abilities. He felt a little silly, now, as he didn't know how someone mute could respond to a question like that.

Yokojima nodded, and pushed some more into Naruto's hands, and Naruto felt his own respond, forcing the invading chakra back out again. He looked over at Naruto, and raised his eyebrows, smiling.

Naruto tried to find the feeling again, it was something he'd felt before, several times in fact, in the forest. He pushed for that feeling, but try as he might, nothing came. He looked back to Yokojima for help, but he just shook his head. Naruto bit his lip, and tried again, pushing as hard as he could. Suddenly, still nothing coming, no feeling or energy, in the heat of the desert he took his hood down and the sunlight hit his green skin. Out from the bottom of his stomach he felt a giddiness rise up, and like water from a geyser, the energy flowed out of his body in a torrent of power, washing over his body, out into the desert. The saplings sprouted out, shooting up into the sky, as grass forced its way out of the sands and sprouted into thick beds, bushes and leaves around the two growing trees in front of Naruto. Yokojima's eyes widened at the force of his chakra and the sheer vastness of it. There was so much of it, flowing out uncontrollably, until finally it slowed into a steady, but still large flow, emanating from Naruto in all directions.

Naruto fell on his back, racked in laughter, as Yokojima looked up at the massive trees that had grown in just a few seconds. Surrounding them were a small ecosystem of plants, around ten feet around the trees, looking so out of place in the desert that a crowd started to gather from all parts of the camp, seeing the towering trees stretching up nearly forty feet into the sky.

As Naruto slowly came down from his giggling, lying in the grass, Yokojima looked down at him, grinning and giving him two thumbs up. Naruto licked his lips, and sniffed the air, and a single thought filled his mind;

'_Water...'_

* * *

__There we have it. Not too exiting, that's for next chapter :D Spent a lot of time building environment and relations between Naruto's new companions... but does have a bit of a peak at troubles to come, wars and stuffy-stuff. I'll try to get a new chapter up by the 29th.

Prosper good minions, leave a review below and tell me what you think, listen to some Iz and have a good day.


	4. Hiatus

This story is now officially placed on hiatus. After once again reading my story through, I've realized it's lost all that it originally had going for it in the first chapter, just because I was too impatient to wait for what I had as future scenes. I skipped what were amazing character-building scenes, relationship building between Jiraiya and Naruto, information on what his life was like, just so much character lost in my impatience and laziness. I will begin writing a new fic entirely now, and this one, if and when it is updated, will be completely rewritten.

To those who reviewed and sent me messages, thank you for your feedback, it was greatly appreciated.

Happy reading,

Génie da Quirm


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